Senthil Kumar: October 2020

Rafael Nadal won the Men’s Singles title of French Open, 2020 by defeating Novak Djokovic. This is Nadal’s 20th Grand Slam and 13th French Open title. With this 20 Grand Slam won, Nadal have now equalled Roger Federer’s records of winning 20 Grand Slam (maximum win by any male player so far).

Under female category of French Open, 2020, Iga Swiatek won the title. She was the first player from Poland to win a Grand Slam.

Maximum Grand Slam Counts

(1) Margaret Court: 24

(2) Serena Williams: 23

(3) Steffi Graf: 22

(4) Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal: 20

(5) Helen Wills: 19

GOA: FIRST STATE TO ACHIEVE IN JJM

Goa has become the first "Har Ghar Jal" State in the country under the Central Government's "Jal Jeevan Mission" (JJM) by providing 100% tap water connections in Functional Household Tap Connections covering 2.30 lakh households. The state has achieved the target before 2021.

TREE TRANSPLANTATION POLICY

Delhi has become the first State in the country to have the "Tree Transplantation Policy" for the preservation of trees. Under this, a minimum of 80% of trees affected by a development or construction project will be transplanted.

SVAMITVA SCHEME

Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi launched physical distribution of property cards under SVAMITVA scheme through video conferencing and interacted with the beneficiaries of the scheme. Prime Minister said that, the beneficiaries of this scheme will have a right, a legal document of owning their houses. The scheme is going to bring historical changes to the villages in the country. He added the country has taken another major step towards an AtmaNirbhar Bharat, as the scheme helps in making rural India self-reliant.

The scheme was launched on Oct 11, 2020 (birth anniversaries of two great leaders, Jai Prakash Narayan and Nana ji Deshmukh).

[Click for More details on this scheme...]

COMMEMORATIVE COIN FOR VIJAYA RAJE SCINDIA

Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi will release a commemorative coin of Rs 100 in honour of Smt. Vijaya Raje Scindia on Oct 12, 2020 through a virtual ceremony. Smt Vijaya Raje Scindia is popularly known as the Rajmata of Gwalior. The coin is being released in celebration of birth centenary of Vijaya Raje Scindia.

8 BEACHES IN INDIA GETS “BLUE FLAG” CERTIFICATION

It is a proud moment for India as 8 beaches of India, spread across five states and two union territories, have been awarded the “BLUE FLAG” by an International Jury comprising of eminent members viz UNEP, UNWTO, FEE, IUCN.

The beaches that have been awarded the ‘BLUE FLAG” are:

BLUE FLAG Certified Beaches
Beaches	State / UT
Shivrajpur	Gujarat
Ghoghla	Diu
Kasarkod	Karnataka
Padubidri	Karnataka
Kappad	Kerala
Rushikonda	Andhra Pradesh
Golden	Odisha
Radhanagar	Andaman & Nicobar Is.

India has also been awarded a third Prize by the International Jury under the “International Best Practices” for pollution control in coastal regions.

India is also the first country in “Asia-Pacific” region which has achieved this feat in just about 2 years’ time.

Japan, South Korea and UAE are the only other Asian nations who have been conferred with a couple of Blue Flag beaches, however, in a time frame of about 5 to 6 years.

India is now in the league of 50 "BLUE FLAG” countries and government is planning to take this journey forward to 100 such beaches in the country in the next five years.

SVAMITVA scheme

ª The property will enable around one lakh property holders from six states to download their property cards through an SMS link. Physical distribution of property cards will follow.

ª Beneficiaries will have a right and a legal document of owning their houses.

ª These beneficiaries are from 763 villages across six states, including 346 from Uttar Pradesh, 221 from Haryana, 100 from Maharashtra, 44 from Madhya Pradesh, 50 from Uttarakhand and two from Karnataka.

ª Property cards under SVAMITVA scheme will clear the way to buy and sell the property without any dispute for the villagers.

ª After getting the property card, easy access to loans from banks on their (beneficiaries') houses would be ensured.

ª Property cards will become a great medium to end many disputes in villages.

ª With the new technology like using drones in mapping and survey, accurate land records of every village can be created.

ª ‘SVAMITVA Scheme' will help in strengthening the Panchayati Raj system for which efforts are underway for the past 6 years.

Oct 10, 2020

Oct 10, 2020 - Headlines

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2020

The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Programme (WFP) by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. There were 318 candidates for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, which is the fourth largest number in the history of the prize.

WFP is the food - assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization. The headquarters of WFP is located at Rome (Italy)

About WFP

Established on Dec 19, 1961

Headquarters Rome (Italy)

RUDRAM – 1

India test fired the new generation anti-radiation missile called Rudram 1. The Missile has been generated to kill enemy radar. Highlights The Rudram missile can be launched from Sukhoi 30MKI fighter jets. It has speed of 2 mach. This is twice the speed of the sound.

The weapon was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It was tested in the Balasore test range located off the coast of Odisha in Bay of Bengal.

The Missile can be launched from height of 500 metres. It can identify heat radiation emitting targets within the range of 250 kilometres. The missile launch was tracked by electro optical tracking system. Rudram is the first indigenous anti-radiation missile.

WTO TO HEAD BY WOMAN FOR THE FIRST TIME

Established in 1995, the World Trade Organization has not yet had an opportunity to run under a woman director. For the first time, in its history the WTO will be led by woman.

The selection committee of the organization has announced that South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee and Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo Iweala are the two finalists to become the next Director General.

The previous director general Roverto Azevedo faced intense pressure from the US Government repeatedly accusing WTO of unfair treatment. He had to leave a year earlier due to continuous pressures.

The WTO was established under the Marrakesh Agreement. It replaced the GATT Agreement. GATT is General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

AMHUB

The World Economic Forum and Guidance will jointly establish AMHUB in the state of Tamil Nadu. AMHUB is Advanced Manufacturing HUB and is first of its kind in the country. Guidance is the nodal investment promotion agency of the state of Tamil Nadu.

AMHUB will help the state in the sectors of solar energy, electronics, electric mobility and textiles. It will help boost production sector of Tamil Nadu by identifying regional opportunities brought by Fourth Industrial Revolution. The 4th Industrial Revolution opportunities are Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, etc.

The Advanced Manufacturing HUB or AMHUB is one of the 19 platforms designed by the WEF.

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

Oct 10: World Mental Health Day

Theme: "Mental Health for All Greater Investment – Greater Access."

WORLD DAY AGAINST DEATH PENALTY

Oct 10: World Day Against Death Penalty

Theme: "Access to counsel - A matter of life or death"

· 106 countries abolished the death penalty for all crimes

· 8 countries abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes only

· 28 countries are abolitionist in practice

· In 2019, the 5 countries that carried out most executions were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt.

Oct 8, 2020

Oct 08, 2020 - Headlines

India & Japan

India and Japan signed agreements of cooperation in Artificial Intelligence, 5G technology. The countries also agreed to give momentum to the supply chain initiative in the Indo-Pacific region.

New Deputy Governor for RBI

Government of India appointed M Rajeshwar Rao as the new Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. The post fell vacant in March 2020 when the previous Deputy Governor N R Vishwanathan resigned citing health issues before his term completed. [Click for More details...]

EU on reducing emissions

European Union Parliament voted updating its climate target to reduce emissions by 60% by 2030 as compared to 1990 levels. Earlier EU had set a goal of reducing 40% emission by 2030.

TSIRKON Missile

Russia test-fired TSIRKON (Zircon) Hypersonic Cruise missile successfully in the Barents Sea. The test fire was conducted to celebrate the birthday of the Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin.

STOCKHOLM CONVENTION

Union Cabinet approved the ratification of seven Chemicals that are listed under Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants.

The 7 persistent organic pollutants that are currently being ratified by the government of India are:-

1. Chlordecone

2. Hexabromobiphenyl

3. Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenylether (Commercial octa-BDE)

4. Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE)

5. Pentachlorobenzene

6. Hexabromocyclododecane

7. Hexachlorobutadiene

India has ratified the convention in January 2006. Persistent Organic pollutants are also called forever chemicals. They are resistant to environmental degradation through photolytic, chemical and biological processes. Thus they accumulate in the environment causing adverse impacts on human health. With an intention to eliminate persistent organic pollutants completely from the environment, the Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants was held in 2001. India is a signatory of the convention.

The Stockholm convention is a Treaty that was signed to protect environment and humans from persistent organic pollutants. These pollutants accumulate in living organisms affecting their health adversely and are of the nature of quick environmental transport.

PM SVANIDHI SCHEME

Government of India launched the API (Application Programming Integration) between State Bank of India portal and PM SVANidhi Portal.

PM SVANidhi Yojana scheme was launched in 2020 under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to provide capital loan of Rs 10000 to the street vendors. The capital amount is to be extended to Rs 20000 for the vendors who repay the installment on time. The scheme is to be operated till March 2022.

NOBEL PRIZE 2020 - CHEMISTRY

The Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2020 has been awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A Doudna for “Development of a method for Genome Editing”. The scientists had developed the Gene Editing Technique called “CRISPR-Cas9 Snipping Scissors”.

The researchers can change the DNA of animals using the Gene Editing Technique invented by the Nobel Laureates. The technology has had revolutionary impact on life sciences contributing to new cancer therapies. It has potentials to cure inherited diseases.

Rajeshwar Rao: New deputy Governor of RBI

The Deputy Governor is recommended by the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search Committee. The committee comprises of RBI Governor, cabinet secretary and financial service secretary. The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet approved the appointment.

The Deputy Governor manages internal debts, financial market operations, and international and secretarial departments at the central bank. The Deputy Governor plays a major part in the RBI Board.

The RBI Board is appointed by the Government of India in accordance with the RBI Act, 1934. The board shall have maximum of four deputy governors. The maximum strength of the board can be 21 including the governor of RBI and deputy governors. It acts as an advisory body and is not same as that of Monetary Policy Committee. The MPC makes major decisions of monetary policies. The governor of RBI may or may not take the advises provided by the board.

Present Deputy Governors of RBI

(1) B. P. Kanungo

(2) M. K. Jain

(3) M. D. Patra

(4) Rajeshwar Rao

Recently, the Government of India appointed economists Jayant R Varma, Shashank Bhide and Ashima Goyal as members of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). The MPC fixes interest rates, repo rate, reverse repo rate.

Number of Rape cases in India

Number of Rape cases in India

(Officially released by Union Govt)

Top 5 (maximum number of rape cases)

(1) Rajasthan (15.9%)

(2) New Delhi (13.5%)

(3) Kerala (11.1%)

(4) Haryana (10.9%)

(5) Assam (10.5%)

Least 5 (minimum number of rape cases)

(1) Lakshadweep (0.0%)

(2) Nagaland (0.8%)

(3) Puducherry (1.3%)

(4) Tamil Nadu (1.0%)

(5) Gujarat & Karnataka (1.6%)

Right Livelihood Award 2020

RIGHT LIVELIHOOD AWARD 2020

(Also Called as "Alternative Nobel Prize")

Winners:

(1) Nasrin Sotoudeh (Iran)

(2) Bryan Stevenson (USA)

(3) Lottie Cunningham (Nicaragua)

(4) Ales Bialiatski (Belarus)

From India, the winners are:-

(1) Ela Bhatt (1984)

(2) Rjni Kothari (1985)

(3) Ladakh Ecological Development Group (1986)

(4) Narmada Bachao Andolan (1991)

(5) Vandana Shiva (1993)

(6) H. Sudarshan (1994)

(7) People's Science Movement of Kerala (1996)

(8) Swami Agnivesh & Asghar Ali (2004)

(9) Ruth Manorama (2006)

(10) Krishnammal Jagannathan & Sankaralingam Jagannathan (2008)

(11) Colin Gonsalves (2017)

SMART Missile

India has successfully flight-tested its indigenously developed Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) from a test range off Odisha coast.

SMART is a missile assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo system for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations far beyond torpedo range.

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